During my observation in the middle school this week, I spent one class sitting in the back of the room watching one specific student for most of the time. I chose a student who hasn't been doing well on any of the tests or assignments that have been assigned so far this semester. This student sits on the right side of the room facing the chalkboard. While my CT is presenting the beginning of the lesson, she is standing in the front of the room writing on the chalkboard. The student has his head down on his arm and is looking towards the window at first. My CT finishes writing on the board and then starts walking around the room, starting near the one student I was watching. She taps his desk and he knows that that means he needs to pick his head up. I noticed that most of the boys in the room also have their heads down and are kicking their legs. The girls are focusing a more on the CT. My CT continues to pace around the room for the remaining of the explanation part of her lesson. As soon as she gave permission to start working cooperatively in their groups, the student I was watching perked right up and began working with his partners.
My CT uses many strategies to engage her students. She tends to start of her lessons by giving some sort of fun fact about the topic that will catch the students' attention. She always makes references to the students' lives so they can see how the material affects them. I would like to use these strategies in my classroom also. It seems as though my CT has her eyes on everyone all the time and always knows whats going on everywhere in the classroom. This may be because she has a small class to begin with, and because she is constantly moving around the room when she's not writing on the chalkboard. This keeps the students alert because they know she could walk by them any minute and tap their desk. I would use this technique in my classroom, as well as calling out random students to contribute answers or opinions to the lesson.
During my observation in the middle school this week, I spent one class sitting in the back of the room watching one specific student for most of the time. I chose a student who hasn't been doing well on any of the tests or assignments that have been assigned so far this semester. This student sits on the right side of the room facing the chalkboard. While my CT is presenting the beginning of the lesson, she is standing in the front of the room writing on the chalkboard. The student has his head down on his arm and is looking towards the window at first. My CT finishes writing on the board and then starts walking around the room, starting near the one student I was watching. She taps his desk and he knows that that means he needs to pick his head up. I noticed that most of the boys in the room also have their heads down and are kicking their legs. The girls are focusing a more on the CT. My CT continues to pace around the room for the remaining of the explanation part of her lesson. As soon as she gave permission to start working cooperatively in their groups, the student I was watching perked right up and began working with his partners.
My CT uses many strategies to engage her students. She tends to start of her lessons by giving some sort of fun fact about the topic that will catch the students' attention. She always makes references to the students' lives so they can see how the material affects them. I would like to use these strategies in my classroom also. It seems as though my CT has her eyes on everyone all the time and always knows whats going on everywhere in the classroom. This may be because she has a small class to begin with, and because she is constantly moving around the room when she's not writing on the chalkboard. This keeps the students alert because they know she could walk by them any minute and tap their desk. I would use this technique in my classroom, as well as calling out random students to contribute answers or opinions to the lesson.